Obesity in America

Obesity cases are greater than before, due to fundamental social and economic issues. This has been seen both globally and in the U.S. Approximately, over a third of Americans have a body mass index of more than 30. Although the body mass index does not account for the muscle mass, more than a third of Americans are obese. Obesity rates were lower in the 80s. The American environment and the Americans’ lifestyle behaviors have changed tremendously. This has powerfully influenced obesity progress. With the current social and environmental changes, the pervasiveness has continued to increase over the last 20 years in adults, adolescents and even in children as young as 2 years old. This is not strange compared to the society that is now characterized by the abundance of a variety of food.

Obesity is a consequence of eating a diet high in calories and fats. The leading obesity ground is the difference between calories consumed and calories burned. These internal body processes can be affected by an individual’s genetics and hormones. The hormones can either influence the person’s taste and preference, or the state calories are processed. However, obesity mainly occurs when a person consumes more calories than the body needs. Human beings have evolved. A few years ago, just the necessary food required to meet immediate nutritional needs, was eaten. Most was grown in a garden, but it is currently being manufactured. As much as times have changed, a balanced diet is still important. Most Americans ignore the healthy fruits and vegetables and rely on fast food joints which have many calories on a daily basis. They prefer fast food and pre-packed food so that save time used to create healthier homemade cooking. These high fat foods outlets are highly accessible. They are virtually everywhere. On the other hand, the few who opt for nutritious foods consume as much as they want.i.e.in large portions.

The other issue is living an inactive lifestyle. Most jobs are sedentary jobs that require very little physical activity. Majority of jobs were manual. People would walk to and from work and use their physical energy. Now, more people have the less tangible demanding white collar jobs that involve sitting at a desk and minimal change. They drive to and from work, and use various machines to replace physical work. The body needs to burn more calories than consumed. Each day, 30 minutes of exercise are recommended. Many gyms are available but most Americans who start exercising to lose weight or stay fit only to convey the routine. There are various ways of losing or maintaining weight, but most are expensive. This is where obesity is influenced by financial status. Most people living in urban areas are poor. Most of them live below the poverty line. Their income is limited. This limits their expenditure, as well. The can food they cannot afford expensive food. The cheapest types of food have an unlimited shelf-life and include fries, burgers and soft drinks.

These contain very high amounts of sugar and fat. The body takes longer than normal to break down these complex sugars. These same people cannot afford to deal with obesity and related problems. Dissimilarly, those with higher social-economic status have the ability to control obesity to some level. They can purchase the right foods no matter the cost. They have the financial power to purchase foods containing low calories. They can deal with obesity cases if they happened. They can afford expensive means of losing the extra calories. They can hire professional help and even pay the gym membership fees for instance. In case of any health related problem, they can seek the best medical attention too. The rich can afford better forms of education as well. Through education, they are informed of the dangers of obesity, the causes and prevention. Therefore, the less privileged in the society are more likely to suffer obesity than the privileged.

Other alleged causes of obesity include too little sleep, temperature controlled environments, some medicine, obese parents and stress. Lack of enough sleep causes hormonal changes. These hormonal changes increase appetite. This leads to more food intake. In today’s world, an unprecedented number of Americans sleep less and less than before. This is because they have to pay the uncountable bills. Environmentally, when the temperature is extremely high or low, the body burns calories to adapt to the temperature. Unfortunately, to those who can afford, this work has now been left to the air conditioners. Over time, more of these people gain weight. In addition, some medicines most Americans take like contraceptives are drugs that cause weight gain. These drugs have become so popular over time. Unfortunately, they can cause overweight, which may lead to obesity, if taken for long. Weight can also be determined by genetics to some extent. Most obese persons opt to marry another obese individual. The probability that if our parents are obese the off springs will also be obese is very high. The likelihood of their children becoming obesity is higher as they may make it down genetically or by way. Stress also causes obesity, when stressed; people typically eat more as support.

Conclusion

In conclusion, obesity continues to be an economic trouble. Obesity-related diseases require very high medical costs. It also affects individuals by lowering their self esteem for instance. Regardless one’s social or economic status, obesity can be controlled. By checking what one eats and maintaining an active lifestyle at least.